My Life Before the Robinsons
by hollyberry29
Summary: [MTR] Gaston is in his junior year at Joyce Williams High when a new transfer student enters the scene... Billie! GastonBillie
1. The New Girl

_Disclaimer: I don't own MTR or Disney. _

Sixteen year-old Gaston Framagucci flopped into his desk. He _despised_ world history. It wasn't the teacher or the subject he disliked, just the fact that he didn't know anyone in the class. He had first period English with his brother, Art, and second period physics with his sister's nerdy little boyfriend, Cornelius Robinson. Gaston liked the kid well enough. But he was totally alone in third period world history.

"Gaston!"

Gaston turned at the sound of his name. It was that blond boy two seats over whose name he could never remember. The kid was your quintessential yuppie, complete with pique knit shirt and khaki chinos. He was also a complete _moron_, and Gaston had the misfortune of having two classes with him this semester.

"Did you do those test corrections for math?"

Gaston rolled his eyes. It was well known that Gaston made the highest grades in math, English, and physics at Joyce Williams High. Therefore everyone used him as their own personal tutor. "Yeah."

"Can I see what you did?" The boy gave him his most charming smile.

Gaston smirked. "You got ten bucks?"

The boy's simpering grin crumpled into a scowl. "Dude, are you serious?"

Gaston raised an eyebrow. "Dude, do you want Mommy and Daddy to find out that their precious little Ivy-Leaguer flunked pre-Calc?"

Grumbling, the boy reached in his wallet and plucked out a ten. He crumpled it up and threw it at Gaston. Gaston tossed him the test corrections.

"The answers better be right, Framagucci," the boy growled. Gaston gave him a knowing smile.

"Trust me. They are."

"Whatever," the boy scoffed, "I'll give them back to you at lunch."

Gaston turned back to his desk. His World History teacher, Ms. West, came bustling through the classroom door, her arms loaded with papers.

"Alright, everybody! Sit down and hush up!" She had to practically shout over the mindless chatter and giggling of her students. Everyone immediately stopped; Ms. West was not one to be tested.

"Thank you," she said, "Now, we have exactly thirty-five minutes to finish up with the East India Trading Company before we move on to the next--" Her statement was interrupted by a soft knocking at the door. "Enter!" she called before chugging the remainder of her coffee.

The door swung open to reveal a girl, a freshman from the looks of her. Gaston eyed her curiously. She was cute; short with curly brown hair and big doe eyes. A group of boys at the back of the room cackled and made crude remarks. Gaston growled. She was probably his sister Franny's age! What a bunch of sickos!

"Can I help you?" Ms. West asked.

"I'm Wilhelmina Collisky…" She said, handing Ms. West her a yellow transfer form. The girl had a strong, almost Romanian accent.

"Oh! The new girl! How exciting! Where are you from Wilhelmina?"

The girl shifted her backpack. "Hungary," she murmured, "and I go by Billie."

Ms. West smiled and waved her arm at the class. "Well, Billie from Hungary, have a seat. Anywhere is fine with me. I don't have time to mess around with seating charts. Anyway the East India Trading Co. was founded in--"

Ms. West continued on with her lesson as Billie picked her way across the classroom. Gaston could tell she was shy; she immediately gravitated towards the back of the room. Just as she was about to sit, one row over form Gaston, the dark haired boy at the next desk put his feet in the chair.

"This seat's taken." He gave her an evil grin.

"I don't see anyone," Billie said quietly.

Ms. West turned from the whiteboard to see what the problem was. She sighed.

"Jeremy, don't be a jerk. Move and let her sit. I swear, is chivalry dead?"

"It's fine," Billie said. She moved to sit in the seat in front of Gaston. Just then, Gaston watched as Jeremy stuck his leg out to trip her. Gaston reached out and caught her arm before she fell. Billie gripped his wrist and regained her balance.

Ms. West once again turned back to the class. "Alright, what is going on?" she cried.

A pony-tailed freshman girl pointed at Jeremy. "He tried to trip her!"

Blushing furiously, Billie threw herself into a chair and buried her face in her arms. Gaston was seriously considering getting up and pounding the crap out of Jeremy Brigham. Oh, who was he kidding; Jeremy would kill him.

Ms. West threw open the door. "Jeremy! Get out! Go to the main office. Let them deal with you."

Jeremy smirked and flipped her the middle finger. Picking up his bag, he swaggered out of the classroom. Ms. West slammed the door behind him. She glanced at the clock. "Great. We're so not on schedule. You know what? Everyone, go take a ten minute break while I get this organized."

Gaston was about to follow the rest of the crowd to the snack machines when he noticed that Billie wasn't moving from her seat. He touched her shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Billie just nodded her head and sniffed. Gaston glanced down at her shin. "Is your leg hurt?" he asked.

Billie lifted her head and turned to face him. "No. Just my pride." She chuckled and wiped her eyes. Gaston smiled and held out his hand.

"I'm Gaston."

She shyly took his hand and tucked a curl behind her ear. "Billie," she said.

Gaston looked over at the door. "Hey, you wanna get out of here? We could go hang out by the football stadium. No one's ever over there at this time…" He didn't know why, but he felt this need to look after her.

Billie glanced at the clock. "I don't know… I shouldn't skip my first day. And everyone will think I'm a baby and left just because I was embarrassed…" She looked up at him with a sly grin. "Who cares? Let's just get out of here!" she laughed. Gaston grinned and ran with her out of the classroom and down the hall.


	2. Hungary vs Hungry

**Disclaimer: I don't own MTR or Disney.**

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Here is Chapter 2…_

Gaston and Billie collapsed by the bleachers on the deserted football field, out of breath from running uphill. They fell into quiet conversation. Gaston carded his fingers through the grass. "So, you're from Hungary?" Billie stretched her legs out in front of her.

"Yeah, my father's work sent him to the States. He's from America though. It wasn't that big of a switch for him, but my mother and I… well, Budapest was our home. My whole family was there. All of my friends," she picked at the hem of her shirt, "It hasn't been an easy three weeks." Gaston examined his shoes.

"I was wondering how you learned to speak English so well. Your father spoke it around you?" Billie nodded.

"My mother knew English also. Daddy spoke Hungarian and German too, but not so well. Is my accent too strong? I mean, is it hard for you to understand me?" Gaston shook his head.

"No, you speak perfectly. I like the accent." She blushed.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, a flash of blond caught Gaston's eye. It was Cornelius… and Franny! They were about 50 yards away. _Holding hands._ Gaston stumbled to his feet.

"Hey, Robinson!" he cried. Cornelius and Franny looked over. Cornelius dropped her hand immediately.

"H-hey Gaston!" he called. He and Franny jogged over to where Billie and Gaston sat.

"What's the big idea, dragging my little sister away from her studies?" Gaston said. Franny rolled her eyes.

"He didn't drag me anywhere, Gaston! It was actually my idea." She peered over Gaston's shoulder to see Billie. "Who's your _friend_?" she asked slyly. Gaston blushed.

"Oh, Franny, this is Billie Collisky from my world history class. Billie, this is my little sister, Franny." Franny cleared her throat and motioned towards Cornelius.

"And her squeeze, Corny Robinson," he grumbled. Cornelius flushed red.

"My name is Cornelius!" he snapped at Gaston, "Cornelius or Lewis, pick one; but not _Corny_!" Gaston chuckled.

"Whatever, Corny." Franny cut in before Cornelius could retort.

"Anyway, what are _you guys_ doing out here?" she asked.

"There was anarchy in third period," Gaston replied coolly, "We decided to escape all the drama." Billie stood and brushed her skirt off.

"Some jerk decided to make my first day a memorable one," she said. Franny looked at Gaston questioningly.

"Jeremy Brigham," he replied. Cornelius shuddered. Gaston raised an eyebrow.

"I take it you two have met?" Cornelius nodded.

"You could say that…" he muttered. Franny patted his arm sympathetically. Gaston narrowed his eyes.

"So _why_ were you two out here again?" he asked. Franny and Cornelius blushed furiously. Suddenly, the bell rang for lunch. Cornelius' eyes lit up.

"Lunchtime! C'mon Franny, you know how much I _love_ cafeteria food!" He snatched her hand and practically dragged her down the hill and back to the school.

The lunchroom was loud and packed. Gaston and Billie had chosen a table near the wall. Gaston could see Franny, Cornelius, scary Lizzie, and a few of Cornelius' science buddies two tables away. Billie pushed her mashed potatoes around with a plastic fork.

"So, I guess I'll ask the typical ice-breaker question: what kind of music do you listen to?" she asked. Gaston laughed.

"Music's not really my thing, that's Franny's deal. She's a composer." Billie perked up.

"Really? Like a real composer? What does she write, classical?" Gaston swallowed a mouthful of peas.

"Jazz. But she has written some classical violin pieces. She's also really into biology and genetics." Billie raised her eyebrows.

"Wow, I would have never guessed. Is she your only sibling?" Gaston shook his head.

"No, I have an older brother named Art. He's a senior. He's a jock, football and wrestling." He looked up at her.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Billie took a sip of water.

"No, it's just me and my parents." Gaston sighed.

"You're lucky," he said.

"Not really," Billie said, " I've always wanted a sister." Gaston laughed.

"You can have mine!" Billie giggled.

"Her boyfriend seems sweet." Gaston shrugged.

"He's a good guy. Smart too, like child prodigy smart. He's an inventor. Mom and Dad were ecstatic when she brought him home," Gaston took a swig of his apple juice, "He graduates this year with Art. And he's only 15." Billie choked on her broccoli. "You're lying!" she gasped. Gaston shook his head.

"I wish I was. He makes us all feel so _dumb_." Billie laughed.

"So what about you? You haven't said anything about yourself yet." Gaston grinned.

"There's not much to say…" he murmured. Billie rolled her eyes.

"Just give me the basic stuff," she said.

"Okay. I'm a junior, and I enjoy math, science, art history, and explosives." Billie looked up at the last subject.

"What?" she asked, eyes wide. Gaston laughed.

"Explosives. Bombs. I like building bombs." He felt the tension coming off of her in waves.

"I'm not going to blow up my neighbor's mailbox or anything like that! I just find them interesting. I want to work in that field after I finish school; like on the bomb squad or something like that." Billie raised an eyebrow.

"You want to pursue a career where you could get _blown up_ at any minute?" He nodded excitedly. She laughed.

"You are crazy!" Gaston grinned.

"What about you? What do you want to do after college?" Billie smiled.

"I want to go into engineering. I love cars, trains, planes, anything that moves really. I want to design and create new modes of transportation," she said, taking a bite out of her apple. Gaston was just about to comment when the bell rang for fourth period.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow…" he said. She grinned and picked up her backpack, dumping her Styrofoam tray in the trashcan.

"See you, Gaston. And thanks." He gave her a confused look.

"For what?" he asked.

"For being my friend." She waved and set off down the hall. Gaston looked after her. _She's fantastic…_ he thought. Suddenly, realization hit. _Am I falling for her?_


	3. Ask Her

**Disclaimer: I do not own MTR or Disney. **

_Thanks for the reviews guys! Now on with the show!_

It was second period, physics. Gaston and Cornelius' teacher was away at some seminar, so the class had a substitute. They were assigned to answer the questions at the end of chapters one through 12. In other words, busy work.

Cornelius slammed his face into his textbook. "It's too early… I can't think." Gaston eyed the blond curiously.

"What's up?" Cornelius looked up at Gaston pitifully.

"I can't believe I'm asking you this, but what are the measurements in Balmer's formula? I'm missing one…" Gaston ticked off the numbers on his fingers.

"Four-ten, 434, 486, and 656 nanometers." Cornelius scribbled furiously in his notebook.

"Thanks," he said absently, "Six fifty-six, that was it…" Gaston examined him closely.

"Are you okay, Robinson? You know this stuff…" Cornelius rubbed his temples tiredly.

"I've been pulling all-nighters on this new thing; it's a… oh, never mind. You'll just laugh." Gaston raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Cornelius looked at him.

"It's a robot." Gaston waited a beat before snorting.

"I told you you'd laugh," Cornelius snickered.

"What kind of robot? Are we talking, like, R2D2 robot or like robotic arms, or what?" Gaston asked. Cornelius was idly doodling something in his binder.

"More like… C3PO…" he murmured. Gaston laughed.

"Oh man, tell me you're not making a robo-girlfriend!" Cornelius flushed.

"No, I'm not!" he cried. I _have_ a girlfriend, unlike you!" Cornelius suddenly became very thoughtful. "Speaking of which, what's up with that Billie girl?" Gaston looked up at Cornelius.

"What about her?" he asked. Cornelius shrugged.

"Nothing, it's just you two have been pretty much inseparable for the past two months." Gaston frowned.

"And?" Cornelius rolled his eyes.

"Don't get all defensive Gaston. Just forget what I said." The two had gone back to working for about five minutes when Cornelius broke the silence. "You really like her, don't you?" Gaston sat up quickly.

"What?" he yelped. Cornelius grinned.

"I knew it!" Gaston grabbed him by the front of his sweater.

"Quiet, before someone hears!" he released the younger boy when their teacher started giving them funny looks. "Do you ever mind your own business?" he hissed. Cornelius smirked. "Nope." Gaston sighed.

"If you say anything to her, Robinson, I'll strangle you." Cornelius went back to his notes.

"Whatever."

"Watch it, man. I already let you date my baby sister. Don't test my patience."

"Fine, jeez…" Cornelius muttered. They worked in silence. Gaston looked up at Cornelius.

"… Is it that obvious?" Cornelius didn't look up from his paper.

"Yes," he said. Gaston drummed his fingers on the counter nervously.

"Do you think she knows?"

"She probably has a good idea," Cornelius said, "she's a smart girl." Gaston blushed.

"Yeah, I know." Cornelius decided to change tack.

"Hey, are you sticking around for Art's birthday party next week?" Gaston rolled his eyes.

"He's my brother, what do you think?" Cornelius raised his hands in defense.

"Just asking Gaston." Gaston erased something on his paper.

"Are you going," he asked. Cornelius nodded.

"Yeah, Franny invited me." Gaston huffed. _Of course_ she did.

"You should invite Billie," Cornelius chimed in. Gaston glared at him.

"What are you, a broken record? Enough about Billie!" Cornelius shrugged and flicked through his textbook. Gaston was quiet. Then he looked at Cornelius.

"You really think so?" Cornelius nodded. Gaston tiredly ran a hand through his hair. Cornelius smiled.

>> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

"Favorite food?"

Gaston picked at his nail beds. "Bell peppers," he replied. Billie made a face and scribbled in her notebook. Gaston was helping her out with her English homework in the library. She had to put together a survey.

"Favorite animal?" she asked. "Fireflies… these are just typical questions, Billie. Everyone in your class is going to have the exact same thing." Billie blew her hair out of her eyes.

"Don't care," she muttered, "this thing is due in ten minutes. I forgot to do it last night." Just then, Cornelius took a seat at their table.

"Hey," he said, eyeing Billie's notepad. "What's that?" he asked. Billie looked up at him.

"Homework. Help me out, what is your favorite food and animal?" Cornelius scratched his head.

"It's a tie between tomatoes and peanut butter," he said. Billie looked like her head was about to explode.

"_Pick one_!" she cried. Everyone in the library glared at her, thoroughly annoyed. Cornelius gulped.

"P-peanut butter," he stammered. Billie scrawled something across her paper.

"And your favorite animal?" she said.

"Frogs…" he said dreamily. Gaston snorted. The bell suddenly rang. Billie slammed her notebook shut and grabbed her backpack.

"Gotta go," she said, pushing her chair in. Cornelius looked over at Gaston. _Did you ask her?_ He mouthed. Gaston shook his head. Cornelius hauled the older boy to his feet and pushed him after her.

"Go!" he hissed.

"Uh, Billie! Wait up!" Gaston called, much to the dismay of the librarian. Gaston followed Billie out the door.

"Walk and talk, Gaston," she said. Gaston had to practically jog to keep up with her.

"So, uh, my brother's birthday is next weekend, and I was wondering if you wanted to go... with me… to his party… because it's his birthday… are you listening to me?" Billie looked up from her notebook.

"Sorry, what?" Gaston sighed.

"Do you want to go to Art's party next week? It's going to be down by the lake. Tons of people are going." Billie turned the corner and stopped at her locker.

"I don't know… I'm not a party person, Gaston." Gaston leaned against the lockers.

"Neither am I. If you don't go, I'll be lonely. We can be antisocial together," he said. Billie smirked at him.

"Won't Franny be there?" she asked. Gaston rolled his eyes. "Yes; and Cornelius, Stanley, scary Lizzie…" Billie pulled out her astronomy book.

"See, you won't be lonely! Everyone we know will be there," she said. Gaston laughed.

"Yeah, but they're just a bunch of nerdy underclassmen." Billie shut her locker and gave the lock a spin.

"Gaston, _I'm_ a nerdy underclassman." Gaston grinned.

"Yeah, but you're not weird-nerdy like them," he said. Billie giggled.

"I'm not weird-nerdy?" Gaston pulled at one of her curls.

"No, you're lovely…" He froze. _What_ had he just said? He quickly released her hair. Billie was looking up him, her eyes wide.

"I… I have to go to class now, Gaston," she said, after a beat. He nodded and took a step back.

"Bye," he said quietly. He turned to go to class. He had made it halfway down the hall when-

"Gaston! Wait!" He turned. Billie nervously tucked her hair behind her ears.

"When is the party?"


	4. Fight For Your Right

**Disclaimer: I do not own MTR, Disney, Subaru, or the name "Framagucci"** _(I keep forgetting to mention that… it's a long story :3)_

_Thanks again to the reviewers!_

It was the night of the party. Gaston tugged at his T-shirt, trying to pull the wrinkles out. He tightened his belt a notch and looked at himself in the mirror. Not bad. Gaston had never really had any problems with his appearance. He wasn't crazy about his nose; it was too long and thin, like his Dad's. He had good hair, nice eyes, tall, a little on the skinny side. Sure he didn't have Art's brawn, but who cares. At least he had the brains to make up for it. Not that Art was a dummy though. That guy had it _made_. Suddenly, Franny interrupted his thoughts.

"You're wearing that?" Franny sneered. Gaston glanced at her reflection. She was lying across his bed, flicking through a magazine.

Gaston frowned. "What's wrong with it? I always dress like this!"

Franny rolled her eyes. "Exactly. You want to impress her! This _is_ your first date after all."

Gaston sighed. "It's not a date, Franny. It's my brother's birthday party. That hardly counts as a date."

Franny sat up and tossed the magazine in a corner. "Whatever. At least change your shirt. That one had deodorant stains on it."

Gaston pulled his the hem of his shirt around. "Darn it!" he cried.

Franny went to his closet and pulled out a black collared T-shirt. "Here," she said tossing it to him. He pulled his shirt off. "Oh, and you don't have to drive me to the party. Cornelius and I are going to walk."

Gaston laughed and pulled the clean T-shirt over his head, careful to avoid his underarms. "Yeah, right. At night and through a bad part of town? What if you got mugged?"

Franny crossed her arms over her chest. "Cornelius would protect me! You don't give him enough credit, Gaston."

Gaston snorted. "Whatever. Call Corny and tell him I'll pick him up."

Franny huffed and stormed out of the room. "MOM!" she screeched.

Gaston chuckled. He would definitely win this one. He glanced at himself once more before leaving the room. He clicked off the light and shut his door, whistling as he trotted down the stairs.

He walked in the kitchen to hear the last of Franny's rebuttal. "-so unfair, Mom! I'm 15 years old!"

His mother, Judith, was packing a cooler of soda in front of the fridge. "Not until September, you're not. You're not walking, end of story."

Franny stomped her foot. "Everyone in this family treats me like I'm two years old!" she cried.

"One more word, young lady, and you're not going anywhere tonight. I'll call a sitter and that will be it."

Franny looked horrified. "Fine," she pouted.

Judith smiled. Her daughter was so headstrong. "If you don't want to ride with Gaston, you could always go with me and Daddy," she said.

Franny rolled her eyes. "And have my parents pick my boyfriend up? I'd rather choke," she snapped, before going up the stairs.

Gaston looked at his mother. "I guess we'll meet you guys out there," he said.

Judith nodded and kissed his cheek. "Drive safely, although I know you will," she said. "Franny said you were taking a girl; is that true?"

Gaston felt his ears burn. _Thanks Fran…_ he thought bitterly. "Uh, yeah. Her name is Billie; she's just a girl from my class."

Judith grinned. "Well, introduce us when we get to the party. It's always Art bringing home the girls; I'm curious to know what Billie looks like," she said.

Gaston thought he would die of embarrassment before he made it to the door. "Well, better be off! FRANNY! Let's go!" he bellowed.

Franny came down the stairs tying her hair up in a ponytail. "Jeez, I'm coming! You don't have to shout!" she muttered.

>> > > > > > > > > > > > > 

Gaston and Franny piled into his white Subaru. They waved to their father, who was packing up the family van.

"Later Dad!" Gaston called. He pulled out of the driveway and headed for the Robinson residence. Franny was leaning into the front seat, applying lipstick in the rear view mirror.

Gaston glanced at her. "You could have sat up here," he said.

She smacked her lips and sat back, buckling her seatbelt. "I want to sit with Cornelius, and this way you can sit with _Billie_," she said, her voice dripping saccharine.

Gaston rolled his eyes. After making a few turns, he pulled up the Robinson house… er, mansion. There was no denying it. Bud and Lucille were _loaded._ Cornelius came trotting down the front steps. He looked spiffy in a blue button down oxford shirt and khaki shorts.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" he called. Lucille waved from the doorway. Cornelius climbed in the back and kissed Franny's cheek. She smiled.

Gaston glared at him through the rear view mirror. "I saw that," he said with a smile.

Cornelius sighed. "When are you going to leave me and Franny alone?" he asked.

Gaston smirked as he drove through the circle drive. "When she's 30," he said. Franny and Cornelius made small talk in the back seat as Gaston made his way to Billie's house. He had been there once before to do a history project with her. It was a brick two-story, not too far from the Robinson's. Billie was already waiting on the front porch when he pulled up. She stood up from the porch swing and waved. Gaston gaped. She was _breathtaking_.

Franny gasped. "Oh, look at her dress! It's beautiful!" she cooed.

Gaston managed to pick his jaw up from the floorboard. Billie was wearing a green and white striped, seersucker halter dress. Her curly hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. She blushed at Gaston's expression as she climbed in the front seat.

"Hi," she said timidly.

"H-hey…" he faltered.

Franny leaned forward and hugged her. "Billie! I love your dress!"

The two girls giggled over something as Gaston drove to the lake. He kept looking over at her from the corner of his eye. _I can't do this… I can't tell her how I feel…_ he thought. Gaston caught Cornelius' eye in the mirror. The blond gave him an encouraging smile. Gaston turned his attention back to the road. He felt like something was lodged in his throat.

Art wasn't kidding about how many people were coming. The place was packed. Some of the parents were setting up tablecloths, drink stations, grills, balloons, banners… Gaston recognized a few kids from his grade. Most of them were Art's age. Franny grabbed Cornelius' hand and dragged him away immediately.

Billie looked at him awkwardly. "I'm going to say hi to Lizzie," she said.

He nodded. He spied a few of his cousins over by the lakeshore. Anybody could pick a Framagucci out of a line up. They all had cowlicks and brown eyes. Just then, a strong arm hooked around his neck. Choking, he gripped the arm and looked up; it was Art.

"Hey there, little brother," he said.

Gaston smirked. "Hey old man; happy birthday," he said.

Art frowned and released him. "Eighteen isn't old!" he cried. Gaston laughed at his brother's paranoia. "Have you seen Mom and Dad?" Art asked.

Gaston shook his head. "They should be here though. Check over by the grill." Art nodded.

Gaston started walking along the shore, kicking at rocks. It was a beautiful night; warm, but not muggy, and there was a nice breeze. Someone had started up some music. He looked over to see Franny attempting to teach a blushing Cornelius how to dance. Gaston laughed.

Billie appeared behind him, smiling. "Hey," she said, "you weren't kidding about the guest list."

He grinned. "Yeah, everybody loves Art." There was an awkward silence between the two.

"You look nice," he said finally.

Billie blushed. "Thank you," she murmured. Gaston swallowed hard. This was it. The perfect opportunity. _Just tell her Gaston… tell her you like her…_ he thought.

"Billie, I-"

Suddenly, Franny came running up. "Gaston! We're cutting the cake!" she cried, before racing back to the crowd.

Gaston sighed. "Come on," he said, "Let's go."

As they walked up, they could see Art standing over his massive cake. Eighteen candles glittered in the dark.

Gaston and Billie joined the rest of the family and friends in song. "-happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Arthur… Happy birthday to you!"

There was an explosion of cheering and shouts of "Make a wish!" as Art blew out his candles. Everyone clapped and Gaston's mother began passing out paper plates of cake and ice cream.

Billie smiled and turned to Gaston. "What were you going to tell me?"

The moonlight made her eyes look black against her soft skin. The wind blew a stray curl across her face. She tucked it behind her ear. _I'm just going to go for it…_ he thought. Gaston worked up his nerve and cupped her face. Her brown eyes grew wide.

"Gaston?" she squeaked. His gaze softened has he lowered his mouth onto hers.

Just before their lips touched, someone cried out, "Hey Billie!"

She turned her head quickly. Gaston's lips smashed into her cheek. _Okay, not exactly what I was aiming for…_ he thought darkly. He looked up to see whom exactly he was going to kill. It was a pale, husky boy with light brown hair. He had a cowlick, but he was too fair-haired to be a Framagucci.

"Joe!" Billie said, her face was glowing. _She never looks at me like that… who is this kid?_ Gaston clenched his fists.

"How's it going Billie?" he was holding a red plastic party cup.

She smiled and turned to Gaston. "This is my friend from first period, Joe," she said.

Gaston held out his hand. "Gaston Framagucci," he said.

Joe shook his hand, "Joe Robinson," he replied, "Nice to meet you; Billie talks about you non-stop."

Gaston frowned. "Robinson? Any relation to Cornelius Robinson?"

Joe grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah, he's my cousin! Well, nephew technically… His dad is my brother. I was a 'late in life' baby," he laughed.

Billie gasped. "No way! You're related to Cornelius? I didn't know your last name, or I would have wondered! Isn't that weird, Gaston?"

Gaston gritted his teeth. "Yeah, weird," he muttered.

"Hey Billie, do you want to dance?" Joe asked.

Billie grinned. "Sure! I'll catch up with you, Gaston!" she said and took Joe's hand. As Joe led her to the makeshift dance floor, Billie looked back at Gaston. She was smiling, but her eyes were apologetic.

Gaston felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. His mind was racing. _Does she not remember I was just two centimeters from kissing her? Do I have that little of an effect on her?_ _And she _hates_ dancing!_ _This is not happening! _He watched as the two moved to some techno beat.

Gaston kicked at a clump of grass and went to his car. Opening the back door, he flopped across the backseat. He slid a hand over his face and tried to calm his breathing. _Of course it would have to be Cornelius Robinson's boy-uncle who would win her heart; only a tragedy that random would happen to me…_ he thought. He gave himself a mental shake. "It's only a dance… it's not like she's marrying him… it's only a dance…" He whispered the mantra over and over, until he felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

>> > > > > > > > > > > > >

A knock at the window startled him from his dreams. It was Franny. "Everyone's been looking for you, are you okay?" she asked. Her face was worried.

Gaston ran a hand through his hair. "What time is it?" he grumbled.

Franny peered at her light-up digital watch. "It's almost eleven," she said. She turned to someone in the distance. "He's okay, Mom! He was in his car!" she called.

Gaston rubbed at his eyes. "I must have fallen asleep…" he looked behind her. Cornelius and Billie were standing there. There was no Joe in sight; good.

"Are you guys ready?" he stood, only to stumble into the side of the car. He gripped the open door for leverage.

"How about I drive, Gaston? You're still not awake…" Cornelius said.

Gaston looked at him. "Do you even have a license?" he asked.

"I just got it two days ago," Cornelius said proudly.

Gaston sighed. "That's comforting. Here," he handed Cornelius the keys. "Let's go to your house first. I'll drive everybody home from there," Gaston said, climbing in the passenger seat.

The ride to the Robinson's was quiet. The girls were in the backseat. Franny was snoring softly, her head resting against the window. Gaston could see Billie in his side view mirror. Her window was down, her hand resting against the car's metal body. Their eyes met briefly. Cornelius pulled into his driveway.

"Good job," Gaston said quietly. He got out of the car to trade seats with Cornelius.

Cornelius peered in the backseat at Franny and smiled. "Don't wake her," he said quietly.

Gaston laughed. "I couldn't if I tried. She sleeps like the dead," Cornelius said goodbye to Billie and trudged up his front steps. Gaston slid into the driver's seat.

"Hang on," Billie said. She climbed out of the backseat and got in beside him. Gaston raised an eyebrow. She blushed. "I like shot gun," she said. He smiled and drove to her house. They said nothing on the way there. When he pulled up at her house she turned and looked at him. "I had a really nice-"

Impulsively, Gaston cut her off and leaned across the seat, pressing a kiss to her mouth. To his surprise she responded almost immediately. Gaston was the first to pull away. He touched her hair softly.

"Goodnight, Billie…" he whispered.

She blinked at him. "Uh… yeah… Goodnight…" She stumbled out of the car. "I'll, um, see you Monday," she said. Billie shut the door and waved before walking up her driveway and into the house.

Gaston sighed as she closed the front door. "How 'bout them apples, Joe Robinson," he murmured, a silly grin plastered on his face. He pulled the gear shifter into "drive."


End file.
